Women's Ice Hockey

Brown Returns to ECAC Competition with Games Against Rensselaer and Union

Dec 07, 2012

PROVIDENCE, RHODE ISLAND – After playing five non-conference games, including two exhibition contests in Montreal last weekend, the Brown women's ice hockey team (1-7-1, 1-5-0 ECAC) will return to league play on Friday night when they make their third trip to New York this semester to take on Rensselaer (3-11-2, 1-5-0 ECAC) and Union (3-8-2, 0-4-2 ECAC). Currently, Brown is 1-3 on the road this season, suffering narrow defeats to both #2 Cornell and #3 Clarkson while claiming their sole victory thus far over Colgate, 4-1. This weekend's match-ups will have a significant impact on the ECAC standings, as Brown, Rensselaer, Union and Yale are currently tied for ninth place in the league.

The Bears will take on the Engineers at Houston Field House in Troy, New York at 7:00pm on Friday before heading to Schenectady on Saturday for a 4:00pm game against the Dutchwomen at Messa Rink. Brown fans who would like to follow the action from home can do so with live stats or video, both of which can be accessed through the women's ice hockey schedule page at brownbears.com. Additionally, fans can follow the team on twitter at BrownWHockey for in-game updates over the course of the weekend.

A Look at Brown: Brown played its last official contest on the day after Thanksgiving, taking on the Providence College Friars in the 18th annual Mayor's Cup game. The Bears skated back from a 2-0 deficit, and a goal scored by senior Alena Polenska (Kutna Hora, Czech Republic) in the last minute of regulation brought the game into overtime. Neither team capitalized on the last five minutes of play, resulting in a 2-2 tie and keeping the cup at Meehan Auditorium for another season. Co-captains Polenska and Laurie Jolin (Lachine, Montreal) currently lead the team in scoring, each with two goals and two assists. Sophomore Sarah Robson (Mississauga, Ontario) leads the team in goals with three, while classmate Lauren Vella's (Staten Island, NY) three assists also lead the Bears. Junior Aubree Moore (Bowie, MD) and senior Katie Jamieson (Waterloo, Ontario) continue to split time in net for Brown, with both players ranking among the top goalies in the ECAC. Moore ranks third in the league in save percentage (.942) and fourth in GAA (1.60), while Jamieson ranks sixth in both categories (GAA: 2.25, save percentage: .934).

Brown vs. Rensselaer

Series record: 5-4-3, Rensselaer

Current streak: Brown, one win

First meeting: 2/18/75 (Brown, 2-1)

Last Brown win: 1/21/12 (3-2)

Last Rensselaer win: 2/4/11 (4-2)

Last tie: 11/11/11 (2-2)

Coach Bourbeau vs. Rensselaer: 1-0-1

A Look at Rensselaer: The Engineers were in action against ECAC foes Quinnipiac and Princeton last weekend, falling to the Bobcats, 4-1, before triumphing over the Tigers, 4-3. They return home this weekend after a four game series away from Troy, and have only won one game on home ice thus far. Freshman Alexa Gruschow currently leads Rensselaer in both scoring and goals, as she has tallied 13 points (8g, 5a) on the season. Jordan Smelker (6g, 5a) and Taylor Horton (5g, 6a) are skating right on her heels with 11 points each. Eleven different Englneers have found the back of the net at least once, while eight additional skaters have tallied assists. Sophomore Kelly O'Brien has played all but one game in the crease for Rensselaer, making 295 saves for a GAA of 2.87 and a save percentage of .889.

Brown vs. Union

Series record: 13-2-3, Brown

Current streak: one tie

First meeting: 2/20/04 (Brown, 10-0)

Last Brown win: 11/12/11 (1-0)

Last Union win: 2/5/11 (3-2)

Last tie: 1/20/12 (2-2)

Coach Bourbeau vs. Union: 1-0-1

A Look at Union: The Dutchwomen are returning to Schenectady after suffering three consecutive losses on the road, falling to Providence, 4-0, in non-league action before dropping ECAC decisions to Princeton, 3-0, and Quinnipiac, 4-1. Christine Valente (4g, 3a) and Jessica Kaminsky (2g, 5a) are the team's leading scorers with seven points, while Valente has tallied four goals on the season, a team high. Courtney Turner (3g, 3a) and Stefanie Thomson (2g, 4a) have each contributed six points to the team's offensive efforts. Defensively, Shenae Lundberg has played ten games in net, starting in nine. She has made 263 saves for a GAA of 2.83 and a save percentage of .910. Prior to taking on the Bears on Saturday afternoon, the Dutchwomen will face the Yale Bulldogs at home on Friday evening.

Looking Ahead: Upon conclusion of this weekend's competition, Brown will take a 27-day hiatus before returning to Meehan Auditorium for a two-game, non-conference series against the University of Maine Black Bears.